Leveling apparatus for metallic sheets and the like



Oct. 18, 1927. 1,645,637

G. A. WISE LEVELING APPARATUS FOR METALLIC SHEETS AND THE LIKE FiledJuly 20. 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.

INVENTOR Georye Wise by 472% 73' WW his arl'fo'r 718A l,645,6 7 Oct. 18.1921. G'AWISE 3 LEVELING APPARATUS FOR METALLIC SHEETS AND THE LIKEFiied July 20. 1926 s Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 2

INVENTOR Geor7e A. Wfs'e Oct. 18, 1927.

G. A. WISE LEVELING APPARATUS FOR METALLIC SHEETS AND THE LIKE FiledJuly 20. 1926- 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG.

FIG. 5

' Georg; A.Wise

is, $12M awm his affornel ment, it will be unnecessary to describe in vPatented Oct. 18, 1927.

UNITED STATES GEORGE A. WISE, OF PITTSBURGH,' PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TOSUTTON-ABRAH- SEN ENGINEEBINGCOMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ACORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

LEVELING APPARATUS FOR METALLIC SHEETS AND THI LIKE.

Application filed July 20, 1926.

The invention relates to an improvement in the method of adjusting andmanipulating certain of the rolls in sheet and plate flatteningmachines. The general type machine for which this adjustment is adapted,is the machine shownin the patent to George A. Wise, No. 1,516,627,dated November'25, 1924.

In the above cited patent it will be noticed that all adjustment ofrolls is obtained in the upper rolls; the lower rolls being-trunnione-din stationary bearings.- In the use and operation of the patentedmachine it has been discovered that if one or two of the lower rollswere tiltable the adjustments would be. simpler, and in certain classesof work the tilting of the upper rolls could be dispensed withaltogether.

The object of the present invention is to provide means whereby lowerrolls of a sheet leveling machine may be adjusted.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is'a side elevation of themachine; Figure 2 is a sectional view taken through the machine on theline 2--2 of Fig. 1; Figure 3 is a similar view taken on the line 3-3 ofFig. 1; Figure 4 is an enlarged side elevation of the lower rolladjusting means; Figure 5 is a sectional view on the line 55 of Fig. 4;and Figure 6 is a sectional view on the line 6-6 in Fig. 4.

As the new improvement is shown applied to the machine illustrated anddescribed in Patent No. 1,516,627, cited above, and as the operationand. adjustment of said machine is unchanged except for the addedimprovegreat detail any feature except the novel arrangement for tiltingone or more of the lower rolls.

The machine comprises a base 1 and side frame members 2, which sidemembers are composed of lower portions 2' and top pieces 2". The upperrow of rolls 3 are trunmoned in movable bearings 4, and the manner ofcontrolling said bearings 4 as to move the upper rolls in unison orlndividually as described in the cited patent. Previously all of thelower rolls 5 were fixed in stationary bearings 6 in the side members 2,but the essence of the present invention resides in having one or moreof the lower rolls adjustable relative to the upper rolls 3 which may ormay not be in movable journals.

Serial No. 123,702.

In the drawings two of the lower rolls 7 and 8, are shown adjustable, asthis number is found suliicient for most work. Lower portions 2 of sideframes 2 are cored out as shown in Fig. 4, leaving a space or opening 9for retaining bearings 10 and 11, which trunnion rolls 7 and 8 on theright side of the machine shown in Figures 2 and 3.

In Figure 2 roll 7 is shown mounted in bearings 10 and 10 The bottoms ofthese bearings are rounded so that when the roll 7 1s tilted there willalways be a line contact to support the hearings in the frame of themachine. As shown, bearing 10 rests on a plate 12 in which threadedshank 13 is fixed by means of pin 12. The bevel gear 14 engages thescrew 13 and supports said screw in the frame 2* of the machine. In meshwith gear 14 is bevelled pinion 15 which is solid with shaft 16 and handwheel 18. Therefore to raise or lower bearing 10 the hand wheel 18 isrotated, which causes gear 14 to revolve on, and raise or lower, fixedscrew 13.

Bearings 10 and 11 have a tongue and groove engagement on their adjacentfaces at 19 which allows one to slide up or down relative to the otherand still maintain their vertical. alignment. Bearing plate 12 as shownin sectionin Fig. 5, has an aperture 20 which allows the passagetherethrough of the tongue on hearing 11 in case said plate 12 is raisedpast the bottom of the bearing. Pins 21 and 22 slidably fix the bearings10 and 11 in the machine frame 2 and the engagement between the same issimilar to the pins 23 in the upper roll bearing 4.

In Figure 3 roll 8 is shown mounted by means exactly similar to thoseshown in Fig.-

2, the only difference being that the tilting of'this roll is done fromthe left side of the machine.

The lower row of rolls is positively actuated by any suitable system ofinter-gearing and couplings. Such gears or couplings engage the squaredportions 24 which extend from the journal shafts 25 of the several lowerrolls.

This machine has all the advantages of the apparatus claimed in thecited patent, and in addition, by having several of the lower rollstiltable or adjustable. it is easier to prepare the rolls for a new runof sheets which may have a different bend, or dish in them,

or may be of a difl'erent size, in any of which cases the rolls must bere-set to properly flex and flatten out said sheets or plates.

It might be desirable to mount both ends of a lower roll on adjustableplates similar to the late, so that either or both ends of the rollfeature requires no special illustration, as it involves a mereduplication of the mounting and adjusting elements shown and described.

It has been found that sheets with wavy edges and perfectly flatintermediate portions are the most difficult to straighten. For thisreason the apparatus described above is particularly advantageous, asthe tilting of one or more of the upper rolls and a correspondingadjustment of one or more of the lower rolls practically confines theflexing of the sheet to any desired area of such sheet It will beunderstood that the lower rolls may be adjustable by modified meanswithout departing from the rinciple or spiritof the invention; thenumber of tiltable rolls may be varied; and some of ,the lower rolls maybe adjustable with or Without tilting the same:

lVhat I claim is:

I. In a machine for leveling sheet and plate metal the combination of amachine frame, a row of upper rolls, a row of'lower rolls, rockerbearings at both ends of two lower rolls to permit longitudinal tiltingof the rolls, vertically adjustable supporting means at opposite ends ofthe two tiltable rolls and cooperating with the rocker bearings thereof,and fixed supporting means at the other ends of said rolls.

2. In a machine for leveling sheet and plate metal the combination of amachine frame; a row of upper rolls, a row of lower rolls, rockerbearings at both ends of one of the lower rolls to permit longitud naltilting of the roll, pins passing through vertical apertures in thebearings, the apertures being of such shape as to permit rockingmovement of the bearings relatively ta the pins, and verticallyadjustable means having a rocking contact with the rocker hearing at oneend of the tiltable roll.

3. In a machine for leveling sheet and plate metal the combination ofa'machine frame, a row of upper rolls, a row of lower rolls, rockerbearings at both ends of a roll of the lower row to permit longitudinaltiltmay be vertically adjusted. This memes? ing of the roll, fixedbearings for an adjacent roll of the row having an interlockingengagement with the rocker bearings of the tiltable roll, and verticallyadjustable means having a rocking contact with the rollerbearing at oneend of the tiltable roll. 7 4. In a machine for leveling sheet and platemetal the combination of a machineframe, a row of upper rolls, a row oflower rolls, rocker bearings at both ends of one of the lower rolls topermit longitudinal tilting of the roll, a plate having a rockingcontact with the rocker hearing at one end of the tiltable roll, meansarranged to permit vertical movement of the plate but to preventrotation thereof, an adjusting screw engaged with said plate and heldagainst rota tion thereby, and rotatable means arranged to act on saidadjusting screw.

5, In a machine for leveling sheet and plate metal the combination of amachine frame, a row of upper rolls, a row of lower rolls, rockerbearings at both ends of two lower rolls to'permit-longitudinal tiltingof.

plate metal the combination of a machineframe, a row of upper rolls, arow of lower rolls, rocker bearings at both ends of a roll of the lowertier to permit longitudinal tilting of the roll, fixed bearings for anadjacent roll of the tier having an interlocking engagement with therocker bearings of the tiltable roll, a plate having a rocking contactwith the rocker bearing at one end of the tiltable roll, means arrangedto permit vertical movement of the plate. but to prevent rotationthereof, an adjusting screw enga ed with said plate and held againstrotation thereby, and rotatable means arranged to act on said adjustingscrewn' In witness whereof, I hereunto set my hand: GEORGE A. WISE.

